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I have the BMW headset system installed, and I can hear it just fine with the earplugs in. I had to turn the volume up a bit, but that is all. If I wore it withour earplugs, I would no doubt have to turn it back down. On the BMW integrated volume I went from a volume level of 10 to 13 when the earlpugs went in. Please note, however, that I am not listening to music. GPS or intercom only.

Great feedback! I really just want it for the GPS.. I have plenty of songs playing in my head anyway.. plus all the voices in there..

I ride with a Sena system on my C3. I wear ear buds and hear everything very well.

I ride an R1200R with a Parabellum Scout fairing that provides a great deal of protection. I regularly ride at highway speeds with the face shield up a bit, in what Schuberth calls the city position and it stays open just fine. I also ride with the shield fully open and normally have no problem keeping it open. If there is a cross wind the shield will sometimes not remain open as well. The biggest issue I have after putting 10,000 miles on the helmet in the past 2 months is in extended heavy rain. I wear glasses while riding and they tend to fog unless I open the shield to the city position. My fairing and screen set-up seems to cause a slight updraft behind it and that causes some rain to come into the helmet. I use a screen extender on the Parabellum and plan to try removing it in the rain to see if that stops the problem.

I am very happy with the C3. I have several very long days in it and it has remained comfortable throughout them all.

I ride with a Sena system on my C3. I wear ear buds and hear everything very well.

Thanks. I have an earbud setup now.. Etymotics and a bluetoof dongle that lives in my top pocket in the 'stich. Thing is - there are still wires flapping around, even if I'm not wired to the bike. And the wires tend to tug on the earbuds, pulling them loose in the helmet, which causes more noise and usually some pain. IMHO speakers are the way to go, if they can be heard.

I ride an R1200R with a Parabellum Scout fairing that provides a great deal of protection. I regularly ride at highway speeds with the face shield up a bit, in what Schuberth calls the city position and it stays open just fine. I also ride with the shield fully open and normally have no problem keeping it open. If there is a cross wind the shield will sometimes not remain open as well. The biggest issue I have after putting 10,000 miles on the helmet in the past 2 months is in extended heavy rain. I wear glasses while riding and they tend to fog unless I open the shield to the city position. My fairing and screen set-up seems to cause a slight updraft behind it and that causes some rain to come into the helmet. I use a screen extender on the Parabellum and plan to try removing it in the rain to see if that stops the problem.

You might be happier with a much smaller shield. I know I am.. I've had the CalSci on mine, and while it provided lots of protection, it also provided too much isolation from the world for me. And as you noted - fogging eyeglasses can be a problem (not one I have anymore..)

I am very happy with the C3. I have several very long days in it and it has remained comfortable throughout them all.

One point that I think some people may be missing.. the helmet has an almost locked closed position.. there is a plastic catch sorta deal on the bottom of the faceshield and the top edge of the chinbar. When it's engaged it pulls the shield into the recess and seals it up quite tightly. Good for rain, or - I've found - over about 70MPH (quiets things down even more.) If you don't engage it (and it takes a concious effort on mine, pushing both faceshield tabs down) the helmet is left cracked open along the bottom edge, about 1/8" - with a smaller gap also around the two sides. At any reasonable speed that allows quite a bit of air into the helmet.

Schuberth says the helmet is quiet enough to dispense with earplugs only when the faceshield is in the down and clicked-locked position. When it's anything other than clicked shut, the noise increases - as should be expected.

One thing I'd like to reiterate about the C3: Airflow across the inside of the shield is amazing. The venting combined with the Pinlock insert makes foggy faceshields a not-so-fond memory. The key to keeping the faceshield fog-free is to keep it clean. A faceshield/Pinlock insert covered with road grime and rain/spray residue provides a healthy environment for fog. Those moisture droplets like to stick to anything, and dirt molecules are perfect attachment points for moisture molecules.

Whenever my visor gets a bit of fog on the edges, I know it's time for a Plexus bath for both sides of the integrated sun visor and both sides of the faceshield/Pinlock insert. It is my experience as a Seattle-area rounder that Plexus seems to have some sort of hydrophobic qualities that helps deter the formation of fog - almost like Rain-X.

A bit of advice about the Pinlock insert: It too needs to be kept clean, on both sides. It also needs to be positioned tightly against the faceshield in order to provide the "Thermopane" effect. The white pins that hold the Pinlock in place are off-center, and can be rotated to press the insert tightly against the faceshield.

Real nice thread! Great timing as both my wife and I are contemplating buying new Schuberth C3/C3W helmets!

We don't really need new helmets, but with all the gimmicks on the new K16GT, you are almost obliged to buy one in order to use the BT capabilities to a full extend.

My wife currently prefers a Nolan and I have several different helmets I use, a Schuberth Concept and HJC on the BMWs, AGV on the Ducatis and on the track and HJCs with some of the other bikes.

I like the Concept although it is rather outdated as far as noise and weight.
We tried the C3s on and my wife likes the C3W, except for the tight cheek pads.
Thanks to a very responsive customer service rep at Schuberth NA, we found a solution to this problem, however.

One comment based on 48 years of riding experience and many, many different helmets:
I agree a helmet should fit from the very beginning. But ALL helmets will break in. The padding will adjust - some more some less. That's why a helmet will feel loose after a long time of use. If a helmet fits perfectly when new, it most likely will feel sloppy after six months.
I check my new helmets for fit as follows:
Push your index and middle finger in between your forehead and helmet. You should be able to do that without a really big effort.
Shake your head or move your helmet with your hands. Your scalp/skin should move with your helmet.
Of course, you should not feel any extreme pressure points.

Fwiw I was just playing with a Sena SMH10 on my K1600 and it works flawlessly (latest BMW flash V4 applied) with exception of the thumb wheel on the bike controlling volume. Only real disappointment was I couldn't pair it to the bike as helmet 2 so for 2-up I think only good option is a pair of c3's and BMW communicators.

I'm very happy with my c3 but wanted lower cost option for the wife as I have no clue if she's going to do more than 1-2 short day rides a year.

Schuberth says the helmet is quiet enough to dispense with earplugs only when the faceshield is in the down and clicked-locked position. When it's anything other than clicked shut, the noise increases - as should be expected.

I guess I'll find out firsthand. I thought to look on Ebay, and there were two up for auction. One "used" but working great - no cord (not a big deal) and missing the velcro to hold the speakers in (also not a big deal), and one that the same BMW dealer was using as a demo with all the stuff.

I won the used one auction for about 1/2 of new price, and am waiting now for it to be delivered. If I can't use it with earplugs it will end up on the Fleamarket..

One thing I'd like to reiterate about the C3: Airflow across the inside of the shield is amazing. The venting combined with the Pinlock insert makes foggy faceshields a not-so-fond memory. The key to keeping the faceshield fog-free is to keep it clean. A faceshield/Pinlock insert covered with road grime and rain/spray residue provides a healthy environment for fog. Those moisture droplets like to stick to anything, and dirt molecules are perfect attachment points for moisture molecules.

I was riding today in 97-100F temps (for a long time it was 98.6F) and was surprised how comfortable the helmet was in the city position even with the temps that high. It was not a chore to ride with it on.

And I did find my 1st shield open position is good to about 60MPH until a truck blows past going the other way, when it shuts by itself. That was good when I was stuck in traffic. BTW - Roadcrafter is the way to go in temps that exceed body temperature.. it protects you from heating up from hot air hitting you, and allows for controlled evaporation of sweat, cooling me off. Not the first time I've ridden with one in these temps.. but the most comfortable time. A semi-naked bike is a good thing.

Whenever my visor gets a bit of fog on the edges, I know it's time for a Plexus bath for both sides of the integrated sun visor and both sides of the faceshield/Pinlock insert. It is my experience as a Seattle-area rounder that Plexus seems to have some sort of hydrophobic qualities that helps deter the formation of fog - almost like Rain-X.

Schuberth warns about using any sort of coating on the inside of the anti-fog insert.. so I wonder what the long term effect of Plexus will be on the coating. I know the C2 shield coatings didn't like any sort of coating on them, they needed very gentle cleaning with hand soap and a rinse with clear water to clean them up and make them work as they should.

A bit of advice about the Pinlock insert: It too needs to be kept clean, on both sides. It also needs to be positioned tightly against the faceshield in order to provide the "Thermopane" effect. The white pins that hold the Pinlock in place are off-center, and can be rotated to press the insert tightly against the faceshield.

Having it correctly tight also seals moisture out of the cavity between the insert and the inside of the shield, preventing those surfaces from fogging up.

FWIW - I don't see it as an "issue" at all. The helmet's primary design function is to protect you. It doesn't protect you as well with the windscreen open, so Schuberth designed it to close - not to stay open. I think if you like wind in your face (with the accompanying bugs/rain/sand/etc) - you bought the wrong helmet.

Don -- The issue I have with that design feature is that in some conditions (hot and humid like we had last summer) even with all the vents open and the flap in the summer position, it got miserably hot inside. I didn't want to raise the chinbar as some do, but ended up holding the visor open pretty much from Iowa to Ohio as it would slam shut at 25mph. I'd be happy if it would stay open just a centimeter till 45 or so.

I love the fit and quality of the helmet, but when it really gets sticky I reach for the Arai with the visor that stays open at 60mph.

Don -- The issue I have with that design feature is that in some conditions (hot and humid like we had last summer) even with all the vents open and the flap in the summer position, it got miserably hot inside. I didn't want to raise the chinbar as some do, but ended up holding the visor open pretty much from Iowa to Ohio as it would slam shut at 25mph. I'd be happy if it would stay open just a centimeter till 45 or so.

Mine does stay open very easily until about 45-50. Perhaps your pinlocks / cams are worn a bit. I agree, in this kind of weather, even though the flow is super, one can never have enough.

Don -- The issue I have with that design feature is that in some conditions (hot and humid like we had last summer) even with all the vents open and the flap in the summer position, it got miserably hot inside. I didn't want to raise the chinbar as some do, but ended up holding the visor open pretty much from Iowa to Ohio as it would slam shut at 25mph. I'd be happy if it would stay open just a centimeter till 45 or so.

I love the fit and quality of the helmet, but when it really gets sticky I reach for the Arai with the visor that stays open at 60mph.

I can't remember if it was here or on ADVRider (C-3 thread in Vendors Forum) that someone used a felt furniture pad in the swivel mechanism to add tension to the detent area and keep the visor open. I'm too lazy right now to search for it.......

I can't remember if it was here or on ADVRider (C-3 thread in Vendors Forum) that someone used a felt furniture pad in the swivel mechanism to add tension to the detent area and keep the visor open. I'm too lazy right now to search for it.......

Next question, hydration

How are you dealing with a drinking tube?
It's not like I have a Jay Leno chin, but there is no easy way to get the camelbak tube up from the bottom. In through the visor is tough too. I have the 90deg. bite valve, maybe I need to try a straight one?

How are you dealing with a drinking tube?
It's not like I have a Jay Leno chin, but there is no easy way to get the camelbak tube up from the bottom. In through the visor is tough too. I have the 90deg. bite valve, maybe I need to try a straight one?

I raise the sunshield about 1/2", then guide the bite valve over the top of the chinbar with my forefinger pushing it down toward my lips. A minor pita, but I don't really think about it.